Guard for street-railways



.921. Patented July 31, 1894.

n4: moms PETERS co, mow-un-uofl WASHINGTON. u. n.

UNITED 'STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. vosn, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

GUARD FOR'STREET-RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 523,921, dated July 31, 1894.

Application filed August 19,1893.

To aZ Z whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, WILLIAM T. Vosn, of Newton,in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guards for Street- Railways; and I do hereby declare that the. following is a full, clear, and exact descriptlon of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

Th1s;inventio1 1 relates to certain improvements 1n guards for street cars, and more particularly to fenders or guards for use in con-. nectlonwith motor cars, cable cars or the like.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved guard for the purpose mentioned which will be exceedingly cheap, simple, and durable in construction and composed of a minlmum number of parts, and. which will be so constructed, mounted and arranged as to be yielding and thereby prevent injury to a person with whom it comes in contact.

A further object of this invention is to prov1de an improved guard for the purpose stated, so constructed and arranged as to automatically yield whenstriking an obstacle and then move forward and scoop up or lift the obstacle from the track, and carry or support the same against injury from the wheels or front of the car.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in perspective a portion of a motor car provided with my invention at tached thereto showing the guard in the position it assumes on striking an obstacle of sufficient weight to operate the parts. Fig. 2

is a side elevation, the scoop or guard proper being shown in its normal position, and dotted lines showing it in its elevated and forward position. Fig. 3, is a detail elevation looking at the rear of the rock shaft in the direction of the arrow Fig; 2, and showing the spring or springs for operating the fender.

- of the frame.

In'the drawings the reference letter a, indi- Serial no. 483.527. (No model.)

cates any ordinary street car, such as a motor car, gripcar, and b, indicates the dash while the front lower bar of the frame will be located a distance above the surface of the road bed. This guard is pivotally or movably suspended by means of suitable hangers .which enable the guardto have a back and forward swing under certain conditions.

These hangers can be suitably arranged and constructed, although I prefer to arrange and connect them as shown in the drawings, wherein the hangers e, are at their upper ends pivotally joined to the end of the dash board at f, by strong and durable connecting pivots or the like at any suitable distance from the levelof the platform. Thehan'gers from thence extend downwardlyand at their lower ends are preferably curved inwardly soas to avoid the steps and permit free swing, and at their lower ends are pivotally joined to the side bars of the guard at or about a point midway between theiend'bars of the frame.

. Extensible braces g, extend from the front portion of the side bars of the guard upwardly through the hangers to uphold the front end of the guard, or if desired these braces can be mounted on the same pivots with the hangers, 'so that the braces and hangers and guards swing together. These braces are suitably formed so as to be extensible and permit free up and down play of the front end of the guard, so that if any small obstructions are encountered, or if the car sways vertically on its spring the guard will yield sufficiently to prevent injury or operation thereof as hereinafter described. In performing this swing movement just mentioned the guard moves or swings on the hangers e,- or on the connections between said hangers, and the side bars It should also be noted that said braces areformed longitudinally adj ustable so thatthe front end of the guard can be raised or lowered to. the desired point; This longitudinal adjustment, and the extensibility of the braces are accomplished by the turn buckles h, or by other means if desired.

If desired the front end of the guard is provided with rollers as shown, although I do not wish to limit myself to any such devices.

The normal position of the front end of the guard is a suitable distance above theroadbed. The guard is under a constant tendency to move forward and upward, but is held in its normal position by suitable means hereinafter mentioned. The construction and ar rangement are such that whenthe front endot the guard being a distance above the surface of theroad bed engages an obstruction, as: a human being, the front end is thrown down and back so as to be able to move under said:

obstruction as the-car moves forward and at the: same time to releasesaid previously mentioned' holding meansand thereby permitthe guard to move forward and upward, thereby lifting or scooping up the object encountered,

and hence-removing the samefrom all danger or injury by the wheels or running gear of thewcar anddrawing the object along withthe 1 car inthe scoop l he guard is constantly yielditngiypressed .forward' by means of one or more springs,,or

any suitable spring, such'ask, coiled on a rod j, ifidlesired, beneath the car, and yieldingly I pressing forward the arms on, COIIIIBCtBdIWlflI 5 theirear' endofl the guard by means of the linlksi Z, so that free swing'of theguard: ispermitted, and the spring constantly acts or tends toswing the guardforwardand upward through themedium-ofi said arm and link.

t,,indicatcs a. suitable holding: means, pref erably alatch pivoted to the under side of; the

car at its rear end, and so that itsfrontendcan freely swing vertically. This latch engages the: rear bar of the'guard, and holds the same: I in: its normal position with the rear end of the guard a. distance below the floor ofthe car so thatwhen the front end of the guard encounters'an. obstruction theguard moves. upwardly and back thereby raising the latch and then suddenly under action of the spring moves downwardly and forwardlyand so rapidlyas tolrelease itself from the latch which of course:

does notimove down asrapidly asthe guard,

By this means the guard automatically re- 1 leasesaitselfi fromits holding means,.and is free t o act under the tension ofi the spring which is of suitable strength to: cause the guard to scoop up and lift a human beingof i 911,18 a. suitable connection extending up through the bottom of the car and provided withahandle or stop p,on its upper end andat" itsop osite end attached to the rear end of the guar so that the guard can be drawn back to its normal position after it has been forced forward, and the rear bar of the guard will engage the upwardly curved end of the latch, and thereby raise the latch up so that it will automatically drop down behind the bar, and hold the guard in the ordinary normal posi- ;tion.

0, indicates a stop chain or support to limit the downward swing of the latch when it has been released from the guard.

It should be observed that the guard is so 'mounted that when its front end engages an obstruction, it yields and does not strike the obstruction a hardrigid blow but yieldsbackwardly and downwardly so as to. passbeneath the obstacle and. raise: the same as the guard movesforwardander the tensionot'thespring. It. will thus: beobserved that. the guard in under him-and roll him into the guard, which consists'of the frame incloscd with bedding or janysuitable flexible. material desired.

I do notwish tQ-linritmyself toany peculiar- "manner of connecting; the spring with. the guard, as the spring. can be. arrangedtoact on the: guard in any suitable manner, Nor doI wish to limitmyself to any specific construction of latch or holding means. It is evident that'variouschanges might. be i made in the forms, constructionsand arrangements of the parts described without, departj'ingfrom'the spirit and scope of my invention, hencel donot wish to lilmit. myselfi totheexact construction herein set forth butconsider myself. entitled to: all such changes as fall '1 within the spiritand scope oh my invention.

1 what 11 claim asnew, and; desire; to'secureiby Letters Patent: of the ld nitedtfiltates ise 1. The.swingingcanfenderherring; means substantially asdescribed fonforcing it toits jl-imit of forward; and upward movementand lprovided with an: automatically detachable lholding mechanism normally holding said gfender against the action of said means at a. .1 point midway of its limits of up and: forward iandback and down movements substantiall y as described.

2. The herein describedverticallyswinging f guard-1 carried by swinging hangers pivotalily from supports a: distance above the floor i thereof, substantially as set forth.

3. A. suspended. fender for cars having lmeans yieldingly' pressing it forward, and

Eprovided with means. substantially as de+ i scribed detachably holding 'the fend'er at. a. point mid way'ofi its strohesothattthewfender j on striking an obj ect will move backandiuns ider the; same. therebyreleasing' the fender from said holdings means so i that. the tender will scoop up theobject.

l 4.. The herein described: swinging fender provided with a spring constantly tending to 3 strilkingthe human being is not supposedtta ,i n jure him, but willpick him up and slide Having thustully described myinvention throw it forwardly and upwardly and with a latch detachably holding it at a point midway of its stroke, as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The herein described guard suspended by hangers so as to swing rearward and then downward, and upward and outward, a spring constantly tending to throw said guard upward and outward, and a vertically swinging latch engaging said guard to normally hold the same in a position midway of its stroke, so as to permit the front end of the guard to move downward and rearward to pass under a body on engaging the same, substantially as set forth.

6. The herein described suspended swinging guard, arms mounted beneath the car, and connected to the rear end of said guard by links, a spring or springs tending to throw said arms forward and thereby swing the guard upward and outward, a vertically swinging latch at one end having the curved outer end arranged to engage the rear bar of said guard and hold the guard in its normal position, and a connection to draw the guard back when it has been released so as to en I, gage said latch, substantially as set forth.

7. The herein described guard, consisting of the guard proper, the hangers at the upper ends fulcrumed or pivotally joined to the dash board, and at their lower ends pivotally joined to the side bars. of the guard, and braces for upholding the front end of the guard.

. 8. The guard having the hangers supporting the same, and the longitudinally adj ustable braces upholding the front end of the guard, so that the front end of the guard can be raised to a limited degree as described.

9. The guard, the pivoted hangers supporting the same so that the guard can swing vertically, and the braces upholding the front end of the guard, and freely extensible to a limited degree so that the front end of the guard has a limited vertical play.

10. A swinging car fender suspended and swinging from pivots above the plane of the car platform floor, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. I y

WILLIAM T. VOSE. Witnesses:

O. M. WERLE,

HUBERT E. PEoK. 

